iPad international pre-orders go live

The international launch of the iPad is imminent. This weekend, "pre-order" buttons have been lighting up across the globe, with some of the first sightings on the Apple Store website being Australia and the United Kingdom.

As we reported last month, Apple announced it would be delaying international sales of the device until some time in late May. No official reason was given beyond "overwhelming demand", but the announcement coincided with a supposed LCD screen shortage, which may have been partially at fault.

The first international release date for the iPad is May 28th. Both the WiFi-only and 3G-enabled models will be available in nine countries but customers in Mexico, Austria, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Signapore and Belgium may have to wait well into July before they can enjoy Apple's take on tablet computing. Pricing for most European countries are detailed here.